In the name of friendship
by rubberglue
Summary: Arthur and Gwen have been friends forever so when Arthur asks her for a favour, Gwen can't say no, even though she knows she really should.
1. Lost Again

AN: I love modern AU and the friends becoming lovers is one of my favourite trope. So of course when someone wanted a fic with those two, I had to write it. :)

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"See, the thing is, Sophia blew me off tonight and now I have no dinner. So how about I buy you dinner at one of those expensive restaurants you can't afford?"

Her phone clamped between her cheek and her shoulder, Gwen tried to simultaneously pour herself a cup of coffee to deal with her awful headache, give her kitten a rub and sort through her pile of papers for a receipt from 2 weeks ago.

"Mmmph," she grunted. Why she picked up Arthur's call was a mystery. It wasn't usually anything important. What was important was the overdue bill her landlord was adamant she owed. She knew she had paid up already but unfortunately, she seemed to have lost the receipt again.

"Have you lost something again?"

This was the other reason she should have never answered Arthur's call. He must have bugged her house or something because he always seemed to know what she was doing. That or she was entirely predictable.

"Ow! Stupid cat …"

"Tell you what, since I have nothing on tonight, I'll just pop over now. Maybe two set of eyes can find whatever it is you've misplaced. Then we can have dinner. I'm quite eager to try out that new Italian place."

Tossing her phone onto her overflowing couch, Gwen sipped what was left of her coffee as she frowned at the mess on her so-called work table. Perhaps she should clean up the coffee spill first before Excalibur got to it.

Within half an hour, she heard the key turn in her lock.

"So what is it this time? Your car keys?" Arthur strode into the tiny apartment, shaking his head at the mess it was in, "I did offer the services of Merlin to help you clean this place up you know."

It was this argument again. Arthur was constantly trying to "make her life easier" with his millions and he never seemed to understand how important it was for Gwen to make it on her own. If he wasn't offering her a room at his mansion, he was trying to offer Merlin's help in everything. It wasn't as if Merlin had nothing better to do - Arthur often kept his personal assistant very busy.

"Have you seen Merlin's place? It's in a worse condition than mine," scoffed Gwen as she continued to push the papers on her table around.

Arthur laughed then reached out a hand to tug at her hair, a habit he had which annoyed her. Now that she thought about it, a lot of what Arthur did annoyed her. So why was he her friend?

"Fine, you know I didn't mean to have Merlin actually come by and do cleaning. So what are you looking for? I'm willing and able," Arthur moved to the table and started sorting through the mess.

Two hours later, Arthur had managed to sort all her papers into various piles, cleared her couch and gotten rid of most of the junk in her apartment. He also made a new pot of coffee. He did not, unfortunately, find the receipt.

Gwen could tell that Arthur was itching to tell her two things - to keep her receipts properly and to move out of this apartment into his mansion. He didn't actually have to voice them out. She could see it in his eyes.

"Don't say it. Look, if I explain -"

"Your landlord has been trying to cheat you all the months you've been here!"

"Come on, where else will I find such a cheap apartment so near the city? Your mansion is practically another country away. And don't tell me you'll drive me in. We all know that you barely go into the office."

"I work from home!" pouted Arthur before settling himself comfortably on the couch beside Gwen.

As he shifted, his thigh pressed briefly against Gwen, causing heat to curl in her stomach. They may have been friends for years, yet Gwen found it difficult to temper the attraction she had for him. As annoying, as arrogant and as frustrating he could be, Gwen suspected that she would forever harbour an illicit attraction to him. Once, she dreamed that he would share the attraction and perhaps their relationship would become more. But that was years ago. She long realised that for her and Arthur, a close, and sometimes prickly, friendship was probably for the best.

After all, how many people could lay claim to being a close friend to Arthur Pendragon, scion of Uther Pendragon, the country's most successful businessman-turned-politician?

"How does Chinese takeaway sound?" she asked, grabbing her phone, "we should call Merlin too. I bet he doesn't have dinner either."

"Hey, what about my Italian plans?"

"It's late -" She took the moment to yawn to emphasise her point. Honestly, she disliked the attention that was always lavished on Arthur whenever they went out.

Gwen suspected Arthur could tell she was lying. He rolled his eyes and snatched the phone from her hand before calling their usual Chinese takeaway.

"Call Merlin," she mouthed as she disappeared into her room to change into something more comfortable.

Later that night, after both Merlin and Arthur had left after a very mediocre Chinese dinner, she spotted a wad of cash and a note on her coffee table.

_For dinner. And don't bother trying to return it._

_A._

Maybe if she stuffed it in his briefcase, he wouldn't notice.


	2. Saying Yes

Merlin's oversized hat was a distraction. Not just to her but obviously to everyone around who were trying to pretend they didn't notice it.

"What are you wearing?"

Grinning, Merlin sat down on the chair next to Gwen and took off the hat.

"Can you believe that Arthur got this for me? Probably his idea of a joke but I like it. It's branded you know."

"You're stroking it."

"It's amazingly soft to the touch! Come, you touch it."

She shook her head. "No. What was so urgent anyway?"

"Arthur sent me actually - not really, I mean, he'll be glad I'm doing this when he finds out what I am doing. I hope."

"Merlin, what are you talking about?" Merlin's ideas weren't always the greatest and she eyed him suspiciously.

"Arthur needs a date."

For a moment, just before her brain could kick in, her heart jumped with excitement. Obviously her silly crush on Arthur was still there. Silently berating herself, Gwen probed Merlin for more details. There had to be more than that - Arthur was hardly the sort of person to have difficulties finding a date.

"The thing is, Arthur may have inadvertently told Uther that he was getting married during a heated quarrel."

Gwen's heart clenched in response but she tried to keep her face neutral. While she was dying to pepper Merlin with questions, she also wanted to play it cool. And surely if Arthur was planning to take such a big step, he would at least have mentioned it to her.

"The problem is, he's not actually getting married. Now he has to get a date for some major fund-raising party his dad is holding. This lucky, or unlucky girl, depending on how you look at it, is going to have to pretend to be his fiance for the night."

"Ok, so what does this have to do with me? There are so many girls who would love to marry Arthur - I've seen that silly poll on that gossip website - plus not to forget all his various dates. How many girls has he dated this month alone? What about Sophia?"

Merlin just laughed. "Sophia's married and Arthur's not like that. You should know that of all people."

Gwen just grunted, refusing to acknowledge the truth in Merlin's words. It was easier to think of Arthur as the perpetual bachelor, never wanting to settle down rather than just having not found the one.

"If you'd accompany him to all his dinners and events, he wouldn't have to date all these people."

"Pfft." She waved her hand dismissively at Merlin who simply shook his head in response. "I'm sure it is such a hardship for him to go on dates with all those girls."

"Anyway, I was thinking that perhaps, you might play his fiance for the night."

"Oh Merlin, you know I can't," Gwen said meaningfully. Only Merlin knew about her less-than-proper thoughts about Arthur and while he had teased her mercilessly in the beginning, he had also been incredibly supportive and kind about it - meaning he said nothing to Arthur despite being completely useless at keeping secrets. Surely, he wouldn't put her in such a situation right?

Wrong.

By the end of lunch, Gwen had grudgingly agreed to pose as Arthur's fiance. She wasn't very sure why but it probably had something to do with Merlin's puppy dog eyes and the fact that she was big pushover. Also, as much as she hated to admit it, the idea of going on a date with Arthur was a teeny bit thrilling. For once, she'd get to experience what it would be like to have Arthur as a boyfriend.

Oh god. She was pathetic. She should turn Merlin down.

She didn't.

"Brilliant," smirked Merlin as he walked Gwen to her shop, "you two know each other so well, it shouldn't be difficult to pretend to be engaged."

Gwen gave him a look.

"Both of you owe me big," she yelled at Merlin who responded by grinning and giving her the thumbs up sign as he walked away. Merlin was so annoying.

The rest of the day passed fairly uneventfully. Her little bookshop had enough business in recent years that she no longer worried so much about making ends meet. Arthur's hints and advice has been particularly valuable as she positioned and marketed her bookshop in the beginning. Thinking about it, Arthur had been incredibly good to her. Although she fought him every time he offered a helping hand, especially of the monetary kind, she could not deny that his keen business mind played a big part in the success of her bookshop. Perhaps she did owe him a favour.

When Morgana popped into her bookshop, Gwen tensed. They used to be friends - they might actually still be friends now - but things changed when Morgana had a huge spat with Uther, tossed her resignation papers at him and walked off to work at a rival company. Arthur had hated being caught in the middle and eventually, Morgana hated that he was too.

"Has the new Megan Lone book come in?" Morgana leaned against the counter, idly looking through some bookmarks.

"You know I'll call you when they do," said Gwen.

Morgana frowned. "What's up?"

And because the whole thing had been on her mind the whole day and because she had no one else to confide in, the story tumbled out of her.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? The press will go mad and your picture will be plastered everywhere," Morgana narrowed her eyes at Gwen.

"Well, I -"

"- couldn't say no? Really, Gwen, I've told you before. You need to distant yourself from the Pendragons! Uther's a selfish, greedy and corrupt politician and associating yourself with them is a recipe for disaster. When they fall, and mind you they will, you'll fall with them."

Gwen frowned as she listened to Morgana. She should have known that telling Morgana about this fake date wasn't a good idea. It was just that sometimes Gwen wished very much that things could go back to the way things were. To a time when they could discuss almost anything under the sun. To a time Gwen didn't feel judged for being friends with Arthur and Merlin.

Thankfully Gwen managed to steer the conversation to less explosive matters and by the time she bid Morgana farewell, she could almost believe that nothing was wrong between them.


	3. Dating Disaster

"Why did you decide to wear such high heels if you can't walk in them?" grumbled Arthur as he practically dragged Gwen up the stairs of his mansion.

If Gwen had harboured any thoughts of this being a turning point in their relationship, she was sorely disappointed. Thankfully, she was too upset to really care. Instead of Arthur admiring how well she cleaned up when he appeared at her door, like all the men did in the romance novels she read, he arrived at her door in a sour mood, barged in without a word and charged straight for the bathroom. Now, he was complaining about her footwear. In fact, she wasn't feeling very fond of him at the moment.

"I was trying to help you," she muttered.

"How? By giving me a workout? I thought you were more sensible than this."

Indignation bubbled up in her and she bit her lip to stop from saying something she might regret. Instead, she shoved him aside and stalked, as well as she could in 3-inch heels, up the stairs.

"Oh come on Gwen. You might fall and this night would just get even worse!"

At this point, Gwen couldn't imagine the night getting any worse. And it had barely begun. The heels were brand new and incredibly uncomfortable. The price of beauty she supposed so it didn't help that Arthur's car decided to break down 500 meters away from his place. Then she had to go and be all spunky and stoic and tell him that hey, I am fine walking there. Well, she was not fine walking all that distance in these horrible heels.

They came to a halt outside the ballroom. Grabbing her hand in his, Arthur looked at her, a question in his eyes. As much as she wanted to turn around and go home, she sucked in a breath and pushed open the door. He squeezed her hand and smiled briefly at her.

This wasn't her first time in Arthur's mansion but it was the first time she'd seen the ballroom all done up like this. Usually a large and fairly boring room, it had exploded with flowers, luscious fabrics and several dozen people dressed to the nines. Several dozen scary, unfriendly looking people, that is. If it wasn't the fact that some of them had already noticed her and Arthur, she might have made some lame excuse and abandoned this whole stupid idea instead. Instead, she felt Arthur tug at her arm as he moved into the ballroom.

"So, you're the girl my son has decided to hook up with," Uther looked her up and down, "Very average."

Gwen plastered a grin on her face and struggled not to roll her eyes. If Uther thought she was afraid of his insensitive words, he was about to be sorely disappointed.

"Dad," Arthur pulled her closer, as if trying to protect her, "don't be like this. Dad, this is Guinevere Thomas. Gwen, this is my infamous dad, Uther Pendragon."

With great reluctance, Gwen shook Uther's hand limply. Despite their years of friendship, she had never met Uther Pendragon. Once, she mentioned it to Arthur who merely shrugged and said that that was probably for the best. The old man barely glanced at her before he turned his gaze back to Arthur as they settled into their seats.

"Vivian Green was not very happy to hear that you failed to inform her of your engagement to her," Uther gestured at Gwen with his fork, "I wish you would be less impulsive and think through your decisions before making them. Vivian Green would have been a much more strategic choice. Never mind, engagements are broken everyday."

With that, he turned his back on them and launched into a conversation with the man on his other side, dismissing them. Arthur gave her hand another squeeze before he let it go. She could see the apology in his eyes and that helped to ease the anger bubbling in her. At this moment, she was just hoping the food was good enough to make up for what was shaping up to be an awful night. If she didn't have such a soft spot for Arthur and Merlin, she'd have grabbed her bag and left the moment Uther made his crack about her looks.

She probably wasn't doing herself any favours as she stuffed her mouth with food while the people around her poked delicately at their plates. But in her nervousness, she hadn't eaten the whole day and really, how often was she going to get an opportunity to eat such exquisite food? All the time, squeaked some annoying voice in her head. Arthur is always willing to bring you wherever you want.

"Shut up."

"I'm sorry. Did you say something?" Seated on her right was Josephine Willow. When she was introduced earlier, everyone seemed to expect her to know just who Ms Willow was. And so she pretended she did. A quick google in the toilet - oh, powder room as one of the waiters gently corrected her - and she learnt that Ms Willow's biggest claim to fame was being the widow of Keith Willow, a shipping magnate and denying having had plastic surgery.

"Uh, the food is really good. Especially the seafood." Wonderful Guinevere. What a scintillating conversationalist you are. This is exactly why you are not cut out to be Arthur's fiance. She glanced quickly at Arthur, hoping he would ride to her rescue but he was deep in conversation with his father.

"I suppose someone like you wouldn't have had much opportunity to eat food like this. I'm glad you're enjoying yourself." Ms Willow's skinny fingers curled around her wine glass and she lifted it to her painted lips. Unkindly, Gwen noted that Ms Willow had probably drunk more wine than she ate. "Tell me, dear, how did you meet Arthur? Was it at one of various charitable events he's always getting involved in? I always tell him that making a nice, large cheque would be just as good and so much less work but he never listens.I agree with Uther who thinks it is just part of his rebellious phase. He'll get over it soon enough."

"Arthur volunteers because he cares and he has a good heart. It's far too easy to write a cheque," answered Gwen, trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice. How dare this lady suggest that Arthur donated his time to the Sunshine Children's Football Club just to get back at his father? "And we met in university." To indicate that she had no interest in speaking to Ms Willow anymore, Gwen stabbed a particularly large prawn and stuffed it into her mouth.

Not her best moment, not when she started to choke, drawing attention from the whole table. Arthur chuckled as he rubbed her back as she gulped down some water. Then he pressed a kiss on the side of her forehead, asking if she was ok. It was just a performance, she chanted to herself, just a performance.

When the dinner finally winded down, she stood next to Arthur, his arm snug around her waist and smiled as sincerely as she could to the departing guests. He didn't let go of her after all the guests left and she said nothing, enjoying being pressed up against his side as they waited for their cab.

"That wasn't too bad, was it?"

"I rather go to the dentist. It's a good thing I am not really your fiancé. I don't think I can take too many of such events!"

She felt him stiffen beside her. "It wouldn't be that awful to be with me. I'm rich, gorgeous, have a -"

"Oh please. Who was the one who didn't even compliment how I looked, then grumbled at me because his car was useless and broke down?" Turning to look at him when he said nothing, Gwen was slightly unnerved to realise he was staring at her. "What?"

A wry smile spread across his face and his hand came up and tugged at her curls. "You look really lovely. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier."

"Pfft. Too little, too late. Do you think the cab is lost?" Moving from his side, slightly regretting the loss of his touch, she peered out into the empty road.

"Guinevere." Arthur took her hand and pulled her back to him.

Then, for the very first time ever, he kissed her. Not on the top of her head or on her cheek as he usually did. Leaning over, slipping one arm around her waist, Arthur slanted his mouth over hers and kissed her like she was his fiance, like he loved her, like he wanted to take her to bed. It was better than she imagined. Her eyes closed and she leaned into his embrace, enjoying the taste of him, the softness of his lips. After they finished kissing, she needed to ask him how he kept his lips so soft, she thought hazily.

A bright beam of light shone on them and Gwen pulled away, the magic of the moment disappearing in the harsh light. It was their cab.

Heat rose in her cheeks and Gwen found herself unable to meet Arthur's eyes. Quietly, she slipped into the cab. She felt Arthur get in beside her but determinedly, she stared out of the window.

"Gwen. I'm sorry. I shouldn't -"

Hurt sliced through her, silent and deep. He was going to make it worse by saying he was sorry it happened. She wasn't sorry it happened. She was sorry he didn't mean it. Plastering a smile on her face, Gwen immediately turned to him and interrupted, "it didn't mean anything. It's no big deal. You're hardly the first man I've kissed."

At first she thought he was about to say something, then he simply nodded. "We're still friends right?"

"Of course. You can't get rid of me this easily," she replied with a lightness she didn't feel.

She wished he didn't respond by putting his arm around her shoulders and holding her close. But he did and she didn't want to make things more awkward by pulling away. Leaning her head on his shoulder, they spent the rest of the cab journey in silence.

* * *

AN: Again, thanks for the comments! I really enjoy reading them. And Sherri, I'm really sorry that Secrets is taking so long, but I promise it'll be updated soon-ish. To my dear guest reviewer (you know who you are), yup, I'll post my reverse BB fic here.


	4. The more things remain the same

Oddly enough, when Gwen woke the next day after highly inappropriate dreams of Arthur, nothing seemed to have changed in her life. She was still lying on her less than comfortable bed in her messy apartment, all alone. With a sigh, she dragged herself out of bed, to the bathroom where she stared at herself in the mirror.

Nope. Despite that kiss from Arthur, one she could still feel on her lips, nothing had changed. Nothing on the outside at least. On the inside however, everything had changed. It was worse, Gwen realised, knowing what it was like to be kissed by him. Before, she could have convinced herself that Arthur and her would have had no chemistry or that Arthur was probably a cold fish (maybe not) but now, now she knew. And she knew how good it felt.

Gwen shook her head, then splashed some water on her face, as if trying to wash away her memories. Over breakfast, she aimlessly flipped the pages of the newspapers when a grainy photo of her and Arthur caught her eye in the entertainment section. It was a tiny photo of her laughing at something Arthur said, accompanied by frenzied speculation over who Arthur's new fiancé was. In a moment of foolishness, she cut out the photo and accompanying caption: Arthur Pendragon enjoying a moment with his mysterious fiancé. Immediately embarrassed by her actions, Gwen quickly stuck the photo into a drawer, grabbed her coat and bag and left for her bookshop.

Her bag was slipping off her shoulder as she struggled with the keys to her bookshop when her phone started chirping in her pocket. She swore under her breath, let her bag slide to the ground and dug into her pocket.

"Hello?"

"Hey Gwen," Merlin's voice came through the phone.

She was in so much trouble. Even Merlin's voice made her pulse race at the thought that Arthur might be near by. "Hey. What's up?"

"Just wanted to tell you that Arthur and I suddenly have some emergency trip to go on. So we're going to be away for the next few days."

"Oh."

"Yeah, so we can't make dinner on Saturday."

"Right," said Gwen, finally picking up her bag and unlocking the door. "Take care."

"Hey Arthur wants to talk to you -"

Her keys dropped. "Uh, I can't. There's something I have to do. Got to go." Slipping into the comforting embrace of her little bookshop, Gwen shut the door, sighed and leaned against it, trying to get her pounding heart under control.

Once a month, Gwen hosted a book club for teens at her shop, an idea she had that Merlin eagerly encouraged. It started out slow but after a few months and a lot of positive word of mouth, it became a fairly popular event, so much so that she had to reluctantly turn some teens away.

"Gwen! I saw you in the newspapers! Is it true? Are you marrying Arthur?" The moment time clock struck four, her book club members swamped her, some even clutching in their hands the news article of the Pendragon Charity Dinner. "Why didn't you tell us? You said you were just friends!" "Can we discuss this article for book club today?" "Will you invite us to the wedding?"

Much to her frustration, the whole book club session became a creative writing session in which Gwen blamed the newspaper for spinning tales and reiterated her stand that while yes, Arthur was rich and handsome, she didn't harbour any sort of attraction for him. The former, the kids believed easily enough but there was a lot of skeptism about the latter.

"I think he likes you," declared Daphne towards the end of the session. "He's always talking about you during football practice and he's always happy when you come watch. I noticed!"

Ruffling the young girl's hair, Gwen laughed, "Don't be silly. I think you're imagining too 're friends so I'm glad he is happy to see me."

It was too naive to hope that this would be the end of it. Morgana called. Disappointment dripping from her voice, she chided Gwen for going along with Arthur's plan (never mind that it really was Merlin's). Then, in an abrupt switch, she started asking Gwen if she could ferret out some information about the company, especially if she was going to play fiancé again. "Nothing confidential or important. I just need to know some dates."

"Morgana, what are you up to?"

"I'd rather you not know. We're friends right? And if you're going to be playing at being Arthur's wife-to-be, you might be able to find out such information. Maybe slip into his office while you are at -"

Immediately, Gwen cut Morgana off, appalled at what she was asking. "Firstly, that was a one-off. And secondly, I can't go behind Arthur's back and betray his trust! He's my friend."

Morgana huffed. "Arthur doesn't deserve your trust. The Pendragons are all liars. It would do you good to remember that." Before Gwen could say anything, Morgana hung up, leaving her feeling a mixture of hurt and anger.

By the time Gwen slipped off her heels, dropped her coat onto the sofa and petted Excalibur on the head, she had a pounding headache and her emotions were in a mess. Dinner was a simple sandwich and a glass of cheap wine, which Gwen felt she thoroughly deserved after what she'd been through. Her attention was captured by the on-going romance between Aidan and Leith on television when her phone rang.

" - Guinevere - best person - won't -" Gwen stared at her phone in confusion. The connection was terrible and the person on the other end was quite obviously drunk. Cautiously, she put her ear back to the phone only to hear sounds of a struggle.

"Gwen? It's Merlin. Sorry. That was Arthur drunk calling you." The background noise suggested they were at a club or a pub.

"Aren't you two on a business trip? Is Arthur ok?" Arthur hardly ever got drunk. The last time she'd seen him drunk was after someone convinced him his father was the cause of his mother's death. The subsequent weeks were awful and Arthur practically bunked over at her previous place every night. Her roommate was not impressed which explained why she was now living alone in a smaller, tackier apartment. Not that she told Arthur because then he'd probably decide to make it up to her by buying her an apartment.

"Romance troubles apparently." Gwen's stomach clenched. "I'm not sure. He's been very vague. He'll probably tell you. He tells you everything. Look, he's sobbing to some random guy who I suspect may not speak English right now. I really have to go. See you soon!" The line went dead.

Excalibur purred and rubbed against her. Picking her up, Gwen nuzzled her cat. "Arthur may not love me but you do, don't you?" Excalibur smacked her on the nose and struggled to get down. "Fine. I should have gotten a dog instead."

The next evening, when a sober Arthur and Merlin made a three-way call to her, she almost refused to answer. Yet somewhere between Merlin and her teasing Arthur about being drunk and having a long conversation with someone who didn't even speak English, and listening to Merlin and Arthur bicker over who was the real cheat at the pool game earlier, all the annoyance and stress accumulated over the past two days slid off her. By the time they said their goodbyes, Gwen was smiling and sleep came easily to her.


	5. In the same bed

AN: Thanks for the reviews. :) GR - you're a teacher? Because I am too and that line is definitely one my students would say. :p

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"You said you would tell your father we broke up. It was supposed to be a one time thing." Dropping her voice to a whisper so the few customers in her shop wouldn't hear them, she frowned at a sheepish looking Arthur.

"Hi, do you have this book in stock?" Still bristling from Arthur's revelation that he hadn't called off their fake engagement, she plastered a smile on her face as she turned to the customer. "Oh my, aren't you Arthur Pendragon?"

Gwen scowled at Arthur who bestowed a blinding smile on the elderly lady who was soaking in his attention.

"Miss? I'm in a hurry," said another customer, one with more sense than to fuss over Arthur. Seriously, he was just some CEO of some company. All his fawning fans didn't know that he snored like a jackhammer or that romantic comedies were his weakness.

"Will you stop hovering? Maybe you should tell your father now. I can't imagine a better time," she muttered as she rang up a book for her customer. "Anyway, I'm busy and you, as always, are a distraction."

Arthur grinned suggestively at her words and she smacked him with a book, pleased that it was a hardcover. "Go away. We'll have lunch later."

When Arthur came back at lunch time, with Merlin, Gwen groaned. Obviously Arthur decided he needed back up. Even before they stepped foot into the cafe next door, Gwen resigned herself to the fact that she was going to be spending three days with Arthur on the beach, pretending to be his fiancé again. She would have to make arrangements to keep her shop open - Mrs Lim would be all too happy to help out - and someone would have to look after Excalibur.

"The way I see it, you get a free beach holiday, Arthur gets his father to stop trying to push him towards Vivian - everyone wins." Gwen glared at Merlin. Maybe all those long conversations she had with Merlin about how she really, truly, definitely was over her crush on Arthur did pay off. "You haven't taken a holiday in years. And day trips to National Trust parks don't count. Speaking of which, did you ever find your membership card?"

"You lost your membership card again?" Trust Arthur to focus on that. Gwen could already predict his next words. "Sometimes I think you need a personal assistant more than I do!"

"I'll much rather be your personal assistant," quipped Merlin. "Although you probably can't afford me."

"You should do it for cheap because you are my friend."

"And you should help me because you are my friend," pointed out Arthur. "Say, I could loan Merlin to you for a week in exchange."

"I'm not your commodity! And you couldn't survive without me for a week."

And as the two of them squabbled over who needed who more, Gwen leaned back in her chair and watched them, reminded once again how much they both meant to her. It was Merlin she met first in university, both of them slightly lost and wandering the university halls. They ended up missing their first lecture but having a great time in a nearby cafe. With their family background and his looks, Arthur and Morgana were quite the celebrities in university. Morgana was an activist - always involved in one issue or another. Arthur seemed to only care about sports. In fact, Gwen and Merlin used to sit around and snark at him and they laughed with others when it was speculated it was his money who got him into the university. Then, they ended up volunteering at a local homeless shelter together and they both saw a side to the rich heir that they never thought existed. Oh, he was still a little stuck up, overly concerned with his image and often unaware of his privilege in the world, but he was also smart, kind, and incredibly loyal and generous to those he loved. Somehow, they became friends and she couldn't imagine a life without either of them.

"So you'll do it won't you?" Arthur asked as the waiter placed her sandwich on her table. The argument must be over. "Please?"

Chiding herself for being such a pushover, Gwen nodded with a long-suffering sigh.

"I will forever be in your debt," said Arthur in response, not even bothering to hide his lack of sincerity so she tossed a chip at him. When he laughed and popped the chip in his mouth, her eyes dropped to those lips her dreams wouldn't let go off. Her chest tightened and she quickly looked away. Thankfully, Arthur was distracted by Merlin's comment about the benefits of ketchup to notice her reaction.

"So what is this beach trip about?"

"We're trying to win a contract. And we've been invited to pitch our ideas there," said Arthur, his tone suggesting that it was really no big deal but Gwen knew better.

"It's important?"

Arthur shrugged. "Important enough that my dad would be there. He still can't let go of the company."

"He doesn't think you can do it."

"Yeah well. It's the biggest account I'm handling on my own since he went into politics."

Merlin shook his head. "Uther is just a control freak."

A muscle worked in Arthur's jaw. "He thinks I'm going to bring his name into disrepute."

"I think he is doing a good job of that himself," muttered Gwen, earning herself a grin from Merlin and a wry look from Arthur. "Damn, it's past 2 already. I've to be back at work."

"Shoo then," smiled Merlin.

The rest of the day went by fairly uneventfully, until a tinkle at the door had her looking up into the eyes of Morgana. Despite their strained relationship, Gwen smiled widely. "Morgana! Your book still isn't in yet -"

Morgana waved her hand. "I'm not here about the book. How about dinner?"

"Sure! Just give me a few minutes to pack up."

As Gwen shelved books and tidied up the bookshop, Morgana wandered around, her hands flitting over various books. "Sometimes I wish that I worked at a bookshop. To be surrounded by all these books is like heaven."

"It is! You're welcome to come work for me anytime," Gwen laughed, the knot in her stomach at Morgana's recent terseness with her easing.

"Come on, I'm hungry. Shall we visit our usual pizza place?"

For most of the dinner, Morgana and Gwen reminisced about their university days, recounting stories of their antics and mishaps in school. Sipping the wine they ordered, Gwen was in a very good mood. She slipped off her heels and swung her legs as they talked about that time Morgana snuck Gwen into Uther's posh party and the two of them had hid in the cloak room, drinking wine Morgana had swiped.

"I hear," Morgana said, a smile on her face, "that you're going to that business retreat with Arthur."

Immediately, all the joy Gwen was experiencing drained out of her. "I only agreed today. How did you find out so quickly?"

"I have my sources."

"Look, I consider you my friend. And Arthur is my friend as well. I don't want to be put between you two."

Morgana's eyes narrowed. "Come on Gwen. You used to have principles. Now you'll abandon them because you're hot for my brother?"

Gwen's fork slid out of her hand and she sucked in a breath. "I have no idea -"

"Come off it. I know you like him, although I don't know why. But that development Arthur wants? It's going to have a huge negative impact on the environment there. That's why I need you to help me. Arthur is just like Uther. All that matters to him is the money - who cares that he's going to destroy the habitat of hundreds of species?"

"That's not true," said Gwen, immediately defensive. "Arthur isn't like that."

Morgana scoffed. "Go look at his pitch and you'll know. I just need you to give me some details from his project notes. And since you'll be sharing a room with him, it'll be easy to get access to them."

"What will you do with them?"

"Oh," said Morgana airily. "You don't have to worry about that. This isn't about my feud with Uther, it's about saving the environment."

"No," Gwen said firmly. Arthur was a good person, spoilt, arrogant maybe, but he would do the right thing. "I don't believe you."

"Suit yourself." Morgana's demeanor turned cold. "You disappoint me Guinevere." And with a toss of her hair, Morgana left the pizza place.

Gwen thought she would be more unhappy with the dissolution of their friendship but her anger at Morgana trying to use and manipulate her kept any regrets at bay. Back home, she called her childhood friend Elena and poured everything out. Assured by Elena that she did the right thing by turning Morgana down and that Morgana simply wasn't worth being friends with, Gwen's heart lightened.

The rest of the week passed by in a haze until Arthur turned up at her door, ready to drive her to the resort. Despite her better judgement, Gwen bought herself a new bikini for the trip, one she thought she looked quite cute in. What was she doing? Throughout the whole journey to the beach resort, that question ran through her mind over and over again. Next to her, blond hair messed up by the wind, Arthur seemed to have no such concerns as he sang, out of tune, to the songs on the radio. It wasn't surprising seeing that he wasn't the one whose emotions were all over the place, whose heart felt like bursting every time he grinned at her or tugged her curls.

"Penny for your thoughts? You're awfully quiet."

"I'm just wondering if I forgot anything."

He laughed. "I'm pretty sure you did but don't worry. Whatever you don't have, we'll just pick up from the resort. I'll even let you charge it to me."

"Arthur -"

"Yes, I know. Sorry. I just keep thinking about how I could so easily make life easier for you -"

"I don't want an easy life." And aside from the fact that Arthur clearly had no interest in her in that way, this was another reason any relationship with Arthur would be a bad idea. He would smother her with his need to do everything for her.

A tug on her curls again and a wry laugh. "I know and I respect that. So if you do forget anything, you tell me what you want to do about it ok? Hey, it'll be fun."

As Gwen stared at their suite later, she realised this really was going to be fun. That is if fun meant sharing too small a space with the man she's always had an unhealthy crush on and if fun meant adding to that awkwardness with over the top romantic cliches like heart-shaped cushions on the only bed and candles everywhere.

"Well."

She looked at an amused Arthur with a sinking heart. "Well indeed."


	6. In close proximity

Gwen ignored the strange look the resort staff - "Hi! My name is Samuel" - darted her as she collected the armful of pillows from him.

"Is that enough? Would you like more pillows."

Snark like that didn't deserve a response so Gwen just glared at him and shook her head. With a smirk, Samuel left, closing the door behind him.

After dumping their things in their room, Arthur had rushed off for some meeting, leaving her all alone in the room fretting. To stem the tide of panic that threatened to overwhelm her, Gwen spent most of the time sorting out her clothes, placing them in the wardrobe, hanging up the dresses she brought in case of a fancy dinner and hiding the bikini in a corner of her suitcase. Then, she'd called reception requesting for pillows. As she waited, she let herself finally examine the room. The bed dominated it, and while it was much larger than the one she had at home, the prospect of sharing it with Arthur made it seem far too small. The rest of the room was fairly nondescript. Sure, it was decked out with expensive furniture that wasn't uncommon in many luxury hotel chains but it was nothing special.

Before Samuel and his judgemental ass arrived, Arthur returned, insisting he needed a shower desperately.

"Did you order room service?" Arthur wandered out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel around his hips and his face buried in another towel. "Because I could really do with some food right now."

"Umm," she mumbled from behind the wall of pillows in her arm as she struggled to move to the bed without dropping any and without staring at Arthur.

"Hey!" Arthur chuckled as he pulled a pillow off the pile. "What's with all these pillows? Are we going to have a pillow fight? I warn you, Morgana was never able to defeat me."

Annoyed that he was in such a good mood and that their one and only bed didn't seem to faze him, Gwen ignored him and tossed the pillows on the bed. "It's for tonight. So we don't invade each other's space in bed."

His smile dropped immediately. "Oh. I could take the sofa."

"Don't be silly. We can share the bed." Gwen busied herself arranging the pillows in a neat row in the middle of the bed, willing her brain not to think too much about sharing the same bed as Arthur.

Arthur sat heavily on the bed and grabbed her hands, pulling her in front of him. "I'm really grateful you're doing this Gwen." The sentiment was nice, but standing so close to him, she wished he had taken the time to pull on a shirt. Especially when he was now dragging a thumb across her cheek and all she could think of was to not touch his bare skin. "You're the best friend I have. You know that right?"

She nodded mutely, resolutely counting backwards from 100 in her head so she didn't do anything foolish like push him on the bed and straddle him. Her eyes darted to the pillows, then back to Arthur who was staring at her.

"What -"

Time seemed to stand still as Arthur's hand moved slowly from cupping her face to threading into her hair. The kiss that haunted her dreams rose in her memories again and she unthinkingly licked her lips. Arthur's eyes dropped and she thought she saw Arthur swallow in response but that might have been wishful thinking. Any moment now, as his fingers massaged the back of her neck, she was going to lean over and kiss him. Her brain knew that would be a terrible idea but the rest of her didn't seem to want to listen to her brain.

"Guinevere." And she didn't need to lean over to kiss him because he tugged at her hand and she tumbled inelegantly onto him. She wasn't quite sure who initiated the kiss. Maybe it was she but at that moment, it didn't matter. Kissing while lying on top of Arthur was quite different from kissing while standing up. Her hands tentatively clutched at his shoulders while his wrapped around her, pulling her even closer to him. The warmth of his bare skin surrounded her and she wriggled slightly to make herself more comfortable, smiling when that elicited a gasp from him. The kiss started out gentle, uncertain but when it became clear neither of them were about to pull away, it deepened. Yet it was only their lips that moved, the rest of them were still, as if any other movement would pull them out of this little fantasy world they were in.

But reality intruded with a sharp rap on their door.

"Ignore it," mumbled Arthur as he pressed light kisses on her face. "It'll go away."

"Hey guys! I know you're in there."

It was Merlin. Merlin never went away.

In a panic, Gwen pushed herself off a protesting Arthur, straightened her clothes and opened the door to a grinning Merlin. Common sense returned to her in a flood and as she stepped aside for Merlin, she kept her eyes on the ground.

"Uther is demanding we gather upstairs for welcome drinks. Ugh, are you naked? Wait, am I interrupting something? You two certainly don't waste any time." Despite his words, Merlin's grin only grew bigger and he sounded positively pleased. Gwen heard Arthur grumble under his breath before disappearing into the bathroom.

Merlin eyed her curiously. "Is there something I should know?"

"No Merlin. Nothing happened," she replied flatly.

Merlin paused, as if considering her words. "If you say so. I'm just going to wait for you two in the foyer." At the door, he stopped. "Be careful Gwen."

Before she could point out that if Merlin hadn't starting this foolish farce, she wouldn't have to be careful, Merlin closed the door and disappeared.

Instead, she sighed. Welcome drinks. What did girlfriends of CEO sons wear to welcome drinks? Gwen stared at her clothes, her hand trembling as she took out a dress. Peering at herself in the mirror, she realised that she looked thoroughly kissed. Without thinking, she dragged one finger across her lips. Twice. In a matter of a week, they'd kissed twice. She glanced at the closed bathroom door. What was Arthur thinking? Was he regretting kissing her? Arthur seemed as enthusiastic about the kiss as she had been. Maybe -

The bathroom door opened and she tensed. Knowing Arthur, he would probably want to talk about what happened but at that moment, Gwen realised she was feeling far too vulnerable for a discussion about her feelings. The last thing she wanted was to cry all over Arthur as she declared her undying love for him. Plastering a large smile on her face, she turned to Arthur, determined to avoid any conversations about kissing.

"Will this dress do?"

"Gwen, we -"

"We don't want to be late for welcome drinks," said Gwen as she fussed with the frills on the dress. "I'll just pull this on and we can get going."

Arthur frowned but said nothing, fiddling instead with his cuffs.

In the lift down to the foyer, he took her hand in his wordlessly. Her heart raced and Gwen stared at the blinking lift lights. When his thumb rubbed the back of her hand gently, it took all her willpower not to lean into him.

Then the lift doors opened and almost immediately, Arthur was surrounded by people. While, aside from asking her what she wanted to drink, Arthur said little to her, he kept her hand in his the whole time. Halfway through, he dropped her hand only to slide his arm around her waist and pull her close. As Arthur continued a boring conversation about investment returns with some people, Gwen inhaled the scent of his aftershave and watched the way his jaw worked as he talked and the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled. She must have been dreaming because suddenly, Arthur was looking at her, a tender smile on his lips.

"Gwen?"

She blinked.

"Tired?" He murmured into her ear, his warm breath sending a shiver of desire through her. Then he addressed the man he was speaking to. "I was just telling Rob here that I'm very lucky to have met you. She keeps me centered, realistic and she's my moral compass." His arm tightened around her and Gwen almost believed his words.

"You are a lucky man. My wife refused to come today, claiming it would be full of men in stuffy suits talking about boring stuff." Rob laughed. "She wasn't wrong."

Gwen laughed as was expected. "I'll miss him if I didn't come," she said, then impulsively, brushed a kiss against his cheek. She heard the sharp intake of his breath before Arthur squeezed her waist again.

By the time the little welcome reception was over, Gwen was barely holding herself together. While she'd managed to make small talk as required, the toll of pretending she was pretending to be in love with Arthur was wearing her down. Some moments, she almost thought Arthur felt more than friendship for her, yet at other moments she wasn't sure. Her emotions were all over the place and she really wanted to be alone.

Much to her relief, Arthur was involved in a series of meetings for the rest of the day, leaving her alone, on the beach, with her thoughts.

That night, Gwen pretended to sleep the moment she heard Arthur at the door. Never mind that it was barely 8 pm. It was difficult to keep her breathing steady when Arthur entered the room, then moved over to her side of the bed and stroked her hair.

"Gwen? Guinevere?"

Breathe in. Breathe out.

"You must be really tired." She was probably imagining the thread of disappointment in his voice. Much to her discomfort, Arthur seemed to linger at her bedside for a while before he finally went to the bathroom. She let out a breath. How would she survive another two nights this way?

The bed sank slightly when Arthur got into it and she felt the tug of the blanket as he slipped underneath. The pillows between them still stood. So close, yet so far.

"Good night Gwen."


	7. Hide and Seek

As useless as a pillow fort might sound, it was actually very effective. It kept her on her side of the bed and when she opened her eyes at 5:30am, she was relieved to find that unlike the heroines in the many romance novels she read, she was not snuggled in Arthur's embrace, because really, pretending to be his fiance and being forced to share a bed with him was cliched enough.

Last night, Arthur had fallen asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. Once his snoring started, Gwen opened her eyes and stared out at the room bathed in moonlight. Slowly, she turned her head to look at Arthur but her view was blocked by the pillows. She closed her eyes again, willing herself to sleep but her mind wouldn't shut out all the conflicting thoughts in it. For a large part of the morning, Gwen had almost convinced herself that Arthur haboured similar feelings but her conviction had faded by the time night fell. And now, in bed, she found herself replaying the day, trying to sort out what was real and what was the product of her desperate imagination.

She finally fell into a restless sleep, plagued by nightmares of Arthur and sometimes, Merlin and Morgana, laughing at her after she told Arthur she loved him. As the light of the morning sun slowly filtered into the room, Gwen made the decision to never tell Arthur about her feelings. While she was certain Arthur wouldn't mock her feelings, she didn't want his pity and she didn't want to risk their friendship. Plus, she admitted to herself, she was a coward when it came to her feelings.

Quietly, she got out of bed and dashed into the bathroom. Her plan to survive this weekend was to avoid Arthur as much as possible. And if that meant getting up in the wee hours of the morning and sleeping ridiculously early, then so be it. Once they got back to real life, both she and Arthur would be busy and then she could continue her mission to stop being attracted to him.

Her heart sank when she cracked open the bathroom door. The bedside lamp was switched on which meant Arthur was probably awake. Briefly she wondered if there was any way she could hide out in the bathroom the whole day. Probably not. Sucking in a deep breath, she walked out.

"Hey. Why are you up at this unearthly hour?" Sleep laced his voice as he turned and squinted at her. Her traitorous heart lurched at his sleepy eyes and tousled hair.

"Couldn't sleep. You continue sleeping. I'll just take a walk along the beach, watch the sun rise."

He yawned and stretched and to her horror, Gwen realised he wasn't wearing a top. Turning away, she pretended to fuss at her hair as she looked at the reflection in the mirror. Yet, she couldn't help darting glances at Arthur in all his sleepy, half-naked glory.

"That sounds like a brilliant idea. Give me a moment and I'll join you."

"Uh no," she blurted, then winced her fingers tangled in her curls.

"No?" Her outburst seemed to wake him up and he looked slightly confused at her.

"Yeah. I - uh -" Damn. She couldn't think of a good reason why Arthur shouldn't come along. "I need to be alone."

He was silent for a while before he replied, "Of course. I could do with more sleep."

"Yeah. You probably have a busy day ahead," said Gwen, ignoring the slight twinge of disappointment in her chest that he didn't press the matter.

"Yeah." He smiled at her but Gwen couldn't help but notice that it didn't reach his eyes. Waving slightly, she darted out of the room and closed the door, sighing.

It was no surprise that she was the only person on the beach at 6am in the morning. As the early morning breeze blew against her bare skin, she shivered, wishing she had thought to bring a sweater with her. But she had been too eager to get out of the room to think of it. This whole thing had been a bad idea. For a while, she had thought that her feelings for Arthur were under control but now, with the pretend date, the kissing and now the holiday, they threatened to overwhelm her. At this rate, she would forever be pathetically in love with Arthur, and that was what she was - there was no reason to fool herself and call it a crush. She groaned. She was clearly going to be single and miserable forever.

The sun peeked over the horizon and Gwen watched in awe as the sky turned into a kaleidoscope of colours.

"Hey. I know you wanted to be alone but breakfast is going to be served soon."

Startled, she turned around to see Arthur standing behind her, dressed casually in slacks and a t-shirt. He smiled, a more genuine smile this time, and stretched out his hand, the strange tension in the room that morning clearly forgotten. "Shall we go for breakfast?"

She nodded, her hand slipping easily into his and he pulled her up. They held hands all the way to the breakfast room and Gwen simply couldn't find the willpower to pull herself away. Just before they joined Merlin at the table, Arthur leaned over and whispered to her, "If something is bothering you, you know you can talk to me right?"

Merlin cornered her at the bread counter. "You and Arthur. What's happening?"

"It's all your fault. This whole thing was a very bad idea." Glancing around to ensure they were alone, Gwen confided in Merlin how her once dormant feelings had suddenly flared up again. "I can't look him in the eye without thinking about him kissing me, Merlin."

She expected the hug and the swift kiss pressed on her head. She didn't expect the swearing.

"What?"

"Nothing. Look, do you want to go back home? You can say you're sick and I'll arrange for -"

Smiling at his concern, she shook her head. "It's ok. You know Arthur will insist on bringing me home if he thinks I'm sick. I'll be fine. I just have to spend as little time alone with him as possible."

Unsurprisingly, Arthur and Merlin were busy again during the rest of the day - a litany of meetings - leaving her and the other family members free. The company had generously arranged a variety of programmes for them, from golfing to fishing trips, but Gwen didn't really feel like socializing with the rest of the people. Instead she arranged for a massage and spent most of her day catching up on her reading in the hotel room. She even indulged in some room service. If it wasn't for the fact that she was in love with her best friend, this would have been the perfect holiday.

Dinner time was approaching and Gwen knew she was expected to make an appearance. Just as she pulled out her yellow dress from the wardrobe, the one Arthur offhandedly mentioned made her glow, a knock sounded. A glance at the clock told her it was barely 6pm. Perhaps one of their meetings got cut short.

"Hey - Morgana!" Gwen took a step back in shock but Morgana seemed to take it as an invitation to enter the room. "Why are you here? Arthur isn't going to be happy -"

"I came to see how you were, having to shack up with my brother." Ignoring Gwen's half-formed sentences of protest, Morgana made her way to the sofa and sat down. "Don't worry about me. I can entertain myself. You get ready for dinner."

"Morgana, I have no idea what you're up to and I don't want you here."

"Can't I visit as a friend?" Gwen watched Morgana as she pushed herself off the sofa and walked around the room, her hands touching various things along the way.

Gwen clasped her hands together tightly, her foot digging into the plush carpet as she tried to keep calm. "You haven't visited me as a friend without wanting something from me in a long time. I'm not doing anything behind Arthur's back. Please, just leave."

With a toss of her head, Morgana walked out of the room without even a goodbye.

Gwen's head pounded and she rubbed her temple absently. The schedule had said dinner was at 7:30pm which gave her some time to rest.

She was napping on the bed when Arthur returned in the evening. Hearing the door open, she sat up groggily. Instinctively she smiled at him, momentarily forgetting the mess of feelings he evoked in her. His responding grin warmed her heart.

"I could get used to this," Arthur said as he came to sit next to her on the bed.

"Get used to what?" Clearly her brain was still foggy because she didn't move despite his closeness.

"This. Coming home to you." His fingers played with her hair and his eyes gazing at her. "You're beautiful when you just wake up."

Somehow, one hand was entwined in his. She wanted to say something silly to break the tension that had developed in the room but her throat was dry and all she could focus on was Arthur.

She saw the kiss coming but she didn't move, couldn't move. When his warm lips touched hers, she sighed, eyes fluttering close and her free hand moving to cup his face.

* * *

AN: So I posted this quickly because I might not be able to post the rest quite so soon. So enjoy! :p


	8. A brief respite

The kiss was tentative at first, unsure but the moment Arthur's tongue swept across her lips and she let them part, the mood changed. Tongues tangling, hands exploring - it was as if they couldn't get enough of each other. At first, it was enough that they were kissing, enough that their hands smoothed over their clothes. Then Gwen decided she wanted more. Uncertainly, she tugged at his shirt, then slipped her hands under it, revelling in the feel of his warm skin under her palms. In response, he stilled, pulling away from her, keeping a slight distance.

The sudden loss of his closeness was like cold water pouring on her. She stared up at him.

"Guinevere?" Desire clouded his eyes but he didn't move, except for his heaving chest. And she knew if anything were to happen between them, she would have to be the one to initiate it.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled off her tank top. Her nerves taut when Arthur still made no move. Had she read him wrong? But even before she could complete that thought, Arthur was cupping her face, kissing her desperately. She responded with equal fervour. It was like years of pent up emotions suddenly had release.

Quickly, not entirely sure how, they divested each other of their clothes until they were both lying bare skin to bare skin.

"You sure?" He threaded his fingers through hers, an oddly intimate gesture.

"Yes."

With a muffled groan, Arthur pushed her gently onto the bed as his lips found the length of her throat. He nibbled and kissed her in turn as his hands smoothed over her sides until they stopped at her hips. Every touch of his sent a shot of heat through her entire body. She was on fire, her insides were mush and she didn't want any of it to stop.

Her own hands explored all of him, her fingers brushing over smooth skin, her nails scraping over his nipples, enjoying every shudder and shiver he made in response. That she could make him groan by simply touching him gave her a heady sense of power.

But he held the same power over her. His fingers slid into her, she jerked, gasped and Arthur smirked at her.

"Arthur -"

His smiled widened. "Guinevere."

Before she could say anything, he slid down her body, trailing kisses from her collarbone all the way down to her stomach, then lower. Yet his mouth was never where Gwen wanted it, where all her blood seemed to have pooled, where she throbbed. She shifted her hips, dug her fingers in his hair and whimpered between uneven breaths.

He kissed her inner thigh instead.

"Arthur!"

"What do you want?" He looked up at her through his lashes, a hint of a smile on his flushed face. "Tell me."

She did, between gasps as he distracted her with more kisses along the inside of her thigh. Then, finally, his warm breath teased her and then there was his tongue, licking, dipping, kissing. Heat curled in her, spreading down her legs, all the way to her toes and like a dying star, she collapsed into herself.

Feather light kisses on her forehead made her open her eyes, and Gwen looked into Arthur's blue ones full of a mix of lust, happiness and something that looked a lot like love.

"My turn," she murmured as she flipped him over and straddled him.

He grinned up at her, his hands strong on her hips. "I like this very much."

Amidst laughter and groans, there was that moment when everything was perfect, when they were one, a moment Gwen knew she would treasure no matter what happened. Eyes heavy and her body sated, Gwen curled into Arthur's warm embrace as he stroked her hair and nuzzled her.

"You know, we are supposed to be at the Gala Dinner now."

"Mmm." Burying her face in his chest, she shifted so she was almost completely enveloped in his embrace.

"But I guess room service sounds pretty good right now."

In for an inch, in for a mile. Her fingers traced patterns on Arthur's chest. "I'm hungry but not for food."

Arthur laughed. "I need some rest, you insatiable minx."

Some time later, they did actually manage to order some room service. The whole night was like a dream to Gwen, separate from reality. Somewhere in between, the phone in their room rang, but Arthur simply knocked it over. Their fingers entwined, they talked of themselves, of nothing and of everything. As the sun set, her pillow fort in pieces on the floor, Gwen slept with Arthur's arms around her.

Arthur's breath puffed against her ear as she stirred. A glance at the bedside clock told her it was 6am in the morning. Next to her, Arthur murmured something before turning around, his bare leg brushing against hers.

Oh god.

She must have said it out loud because Arthur groaned, then his eyes slowly opened. Please don't let them contain regret, she thought desperately. But when he finally looked at her, all she could see was affection. His arm reached for her and she let him tuck her into his embrace. Until Arthur broached the subject, Gwen decided she wasn't going to initiate any conversation about their relationship, happy to bask in whatever was happening now between them. She didn't need a label, she told herself firmly.

"Let's go for a morning walk," he murmured into her hair. Gwen remembered how she had turned him down the morning before and nodded, receiving a kiss as reward before Arthur got out of bed, tugging her with him.

So she dug out the bikini she had hidden away, slipped it on then pulled a loose shirt over it.

The beach was almost empty, making it feel like it was part of the cocoon they had ensconced themselves in since last every. Her feet sank into the warm sand as they walked in silence. Every now and then, she glance up at him. Sometimes he was looking at her, then his smile would widen and he would bend over to kiss her. Other times, he stared ahead, allowing her the chance to examine him. Gwen had known him for years and yet she'd never noticed the pale scar above his right eye, or the tiny mole at the side of his nose.

"Swim?" Arthur suddenly said, releasing her from his hold. "Come on. I want to see what you have under there." He grabbed at her shirt and she shrieked, darting away from him. "Last one to the water has to do everything the other says," he sing-songed as he pulled off his own shirt and shucked off his shorts. Without even looking at her, he dashed off towards the waves. Laughing, Gwen took off her shirt as well and followed him into the water.

"Come here," he muttered, his voice low and suggestive and obediently she floated towards him. The moment she was within touching distance, he reached out to her, hauling her so she was plastered against him, her weight supported by him. Together, Arthur floated them to the edge of the sea, sheltered by low hanging branches His finger traced the edge of her bikini, leaving a trail of goosepimples in its wake. "Have I ever told you how gorgeous you are, especially in this lovely green bikini?" He grinned. "I like it very much."

Framing his face with her hands, she pulled him down for a kiss.

"Guinevere," he groaned as he pulled her closer.

"Arthur."

"You're perfect." And he kissed her again.

The warm water lapped around her as she scrubbed herself. Arthur had left earlier for a meeting and Gwen had decided to laze around in the generous bath. Perhaps tonight, Arthur would be amenable to her suggestion that they share the bath. That put a smile on her face. Sure, they hadn't quite talked about their relationship, spending most of their morning simply enjoying each other, but the way he looked at her, the way he touched her, Gwen was quite certain he felt the same way. Her toes curled as that thought hit her. Arthur loved her. With an uncharacteristic giggle, Gwen slid into the cooling water.

* * *

AN: I figured Arthur and Gwen deserved some happiness. :) And the bikini makes a brief appearance because of its popularity.


	9. In the Aftermath

Merlin raised an eyebrow when she entered the cafe. Biting down on her lip to stop the smile that she suspected had been on her face since Arthur left her, Gwen waved at him.

"Arthur let you off from the boring meetings?" She asked as she sat down opposite him.

"He was in a particularly good mood today."

"Hmm." She buried her face in the menu although her brain was too full of Arthur to make any sense of the words.

"I wonder why he was in such a good mood." Merlin said again, slowly, his foot gently poking against her ankle.

Gwen shook her head and shrugged.

"It's not because of the negotiations," mused Merlin. "Those are still progressing far too slowly for his liking."

"Maybe he just woke up in a good mood."

Merlin just looked blandly at her. "You look like you're in a good mood too. There must be something in the water."

"Probably," Gwen said, twisting away from Merlin's intense look, pretending to be looking for a waiter to take their orders.

"In fact," said Merlin slowly, "you and Arthur must have had a very good night, so good that you two didn't make it for the big gala dinner." He barely winced when Gwen gave him a swift kick to his shin. "Makes me wonder what was going on in the hotel room -"

"Hey!" Gwen said, waving her arm. "Take our orders?" Beside her, she could hear Merlin's laugh. Thankfully he dropped the subject after a few more jabs when the waiter slid their sandwiches onto the table.

Poking at the bread, Merlin shook his head. "Resort prices are ridiculous. I can't believe I'm paying ten quid for this."

"Resorts must make a ton of money," said Gwen as she popped a chip into her mouth.

"Uh huh. Which is why this contract is so important to Arthur." Left unsaid was the fact that Arthur had missed the important gala dinner the night before and for the first time since Arthur left her side, Gwen felt a pang of regret.

"He's in a good position to win the contract, right?" As much as she treasured their night of intimacy, Gwen really didn't want it to be the reason Arthur didn't win the contract.

Merlin put down his sandwich. "I don't know. Someone has been spreading rumours about Arthur's bid. It's more annoying than anything but without them, Arthur would have the contract signed by now. Don't look so worried. I'm sure it's just a little hitch. I know the proposal like the back of my hand and it's good. Good and innovative. There's nothing not to like." Then Merlin sighed. "And maybe Arthur will finally get that approval he wants so desperately from Uther."

Arthur's father issues were legendary and Gwen nodded in understanding. "I hope missing the dinner wouldn't have set things back too much."

Merlin's mouth quirked into a slight smile. "It definitely annoyed Uther, which I would put down as a good thing. I made some excuse about you being unwell and Arthur unwilling to leave his beloved fiance's side which everyone else swallowed quite easily. And seeing how you're glowing red, it's time you tell me what happened last night between you and Arthur."

Trying to stall, Gwen picked up her cup of juice and took a large gulp. "Wehadsex," she muttered in between sips.

"Well," said Merlin, leaning back into his seat and crossing his arms. "Well. It's about time."

"About time?"

"Oh please. Do you know how hard it is being trapped between the two of you? Both of you coming to me and confessing all these feelings for each other, then swearing me to complete secrecy."

Her cup landed on the table with a thud. "Feelings?"

"Nope." Merlin threw his hands up. "I've done my bit. The rest is up to you two. And now, I better go back and see if Arthur needs any assistance from his personal assistant."

Her fingers toyed with the straw as she watched Merlin walk out of the cafe, his comment about Arthur having feelings echoing in her head. Feelings. Gwen smiled.

She was still smiling, humming actually, when Arthur returned to their room. His arm went around her waist as his lips found the back of her neck. A shiver shot through her. With a satisfied purr, Gwen turned around so they were face to face.

"How was your day?"

"Tedious," said Arthur. "And I missed you."

"I missed you too."

"Good." One hand pulling off his tie, Arthur yanked her against him with the other, slanted his mouth over hers and kissed her deeply.

Dinner was room service again, but Gwen didn't really care. Lazing on the bed, chewing on the strawberries Arthur ordered, she watched as he, clad in nothing except his boxers, typed furiously on his laptop. As if he could feel her stare, Arthur turned and grimaced at her. "Sorry, but I need to finish this."

"It's fine. I'm enjoying the view."

With a chuckle, Arthur returned to his work. Merlin arrived some time later to pass Arthur some documents while at the same time, teasing them mercilessly until Arthur threw a pillow at him and chased him out of the room. Then finally, Arthur shut down his laptop, tossed her a saucy smile and climbed into bed with her.

They had breakfast the next morning with everyone. Throughout breakfast, Arthur kept one arm tight around her waist. It restricted her movement but Gwen admitted to herself that she quite liked it. That didn't stop her from wriggling from his possessive hold so she could escape the boring conversation Arthur was having with a potential investor.

"Another good night?" Merlin asked with amusement.

Ignoring his question, Gwen asked about the contract. "Are they any closer to signing?"

Merlin's grunt was not encouraging. From the side, Gwen watched Arthur laugh and talk to the other well-suited men and women, all of whom, according to Merlin, were key decision makers. To anyone else, Arthur looked every bit the confident CEO but Gwen could see the slight frown between his eyes and the tell tale clench of his jaw. "He's anxious."

"He expected this contract wrapped up by today."

Back in their room, as they packed to check out, Gwen finally asked Arthur about the contract.

"I thought they were happy with our proposal but this trip, they've been stalling. Merlin and I are trying to work out what exactly changed their minds." Arthur slammed his suitcase shut. "It's frustrating of course, but that's the business world for you."

"And your dad?"

"My dad? If I land it, maybe he'll finally stop breathing down my neck every project. If I don't, then it's another round of why I am such a disappointment." Arthur's casual shrug belied the stress in his voice. Placing the blouse she was folding down, Gwen crossed over to him and hugged him.

"Even if the contract never gets signed, I want you to know, this is one business trip I don't regret." Then he kissed her.

* * *

AN: More happiness! Hopefully it will last.


	10. Sometimes it just isn't enough

Gwen was in her bookshop shelving books when Morgana walked in. Immediately she tensed, watching as Morgana weaved her way past the few customers until she was standing in front of Gwen.

"Hello Gwen."

"Morgana." Since Morgana's intrusion into her weekend with Arthur, Gwen had not been in contact with her. Lingering feelings of friendship rose in her now and then in the week that followed but Gwen decided that if Morgana wasn't going to make an effort to repair the friendship, then neither would she. And truth be told, she had been rather distracted by her budding relationship with Arthur. Gwen wondered if that was why Morgana was here - to guilt her over her relationship with Arthur.

"I came to apologise. I should not have asked you to gather information for me nor should I have barged in on you and Arthur over the weekend."

Gwen was torn. "I -"

"Also," the contrite expression fell away and Morgana's lips twisted into a smile. "I came to thank you."

"Thank me?"

Raising one hand, Morgana waved the new paperback she held. "Thanks, Gwen." With those words, Morgana slipped out of her bookshop, leaving Gwen nonplussed. However as four-o'clock dawned and Gwen's reading group descended on the bookshop, Gwen found herself forgetting all about that little visit from Morgana.

Right on time at closing time, Arthur stepped into the bookshop.

"This is getting to be a habit. I might get used -" Gwen glanced up from her cash machine expecting to see Arthur smiling at her. When her eyes met his cool gaze, her words dried up and she swallowed.

The muscle in his jaw throbbed but he said nothing.

"Is everything ok?"

Arthur blinked, then shook his head. But the coolness in his eyes were still there when he looked at her again. "Need help closing up?"

The lack of affection in his words made Gwen's heart sink. Maybe he was just stressed. That contract he was working so hard for was still not a sure thing and while over the past days, he'd been absolutely perfect to her, Gwen knew it was eating at him. "I'm almost done. Give me ten minutes?"

He nodded. In silence, he helped her tidy up, reshelving books and wiping down the shelves. Usually Gwen loved being alone in her small bookshop with Arthur. Just yesterday, he'd cornered her in one of the shelves, then kissed her senseless. But today, the bookshop seemed too small to contain the extra tension that had developed.

The shutters rolled down with a clank and then there was nothing to do but face Arthur. Dragging the lapels of her coat closer, Gwen turned to Arthur who stood in the shadows, his hands stuffed into his pocket. His sleek car idled along the road.

"Come on," he said, pulling the door open and gesturing for her to enter. "We need to talk."

Gwen folded, then unfolded her hands in her lap. If the bookshop was small, his car was claustrophobic. Several times, she glanced over at him but his face was unreadable in the darkness and she settled for staring out of the window into the dark streets.

"You've seen Morgana recently." It wasn't a question.

"She's my friend," said Gwen, almost defensively, hating the accusatory tone in his voice. It wasn't as if she hid her friendship with Morgana from Arthur. He'd known before their weekend that they kept in touch.

"I thought we were friends - more than friends."

Gwen said nothing. They never really spoke about what they were in the past few days but she had thought they had been more than friends. Friends certainly didn't spend most of their time naked in bed together.

"Was the past week Morgana's idea?"

"What?" Gwen tore her gaze from the window to stare at Arthur. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the information you gave Morgana about the deal I'm trying to make with Abbott Constructions."

She frowned. "The deal you were working on at the resort?"

His nod was curt. "You know how important it was. And yet you gave sensitive information to Morgana, gave her access to the files." His fingers flexed against the wheel, his knuckles white from the tight grip.

"I -" Panic rose in Gwen. Why hadn't she thought to tell Arthur about Morgana? Her mind flashed back to Morgana's cheery thanks earlier that morning.

"Don't." That single word pieced her heart. The car slid to a stop outside her apartment block. Arthur twisted in his seat to look at her and even in the dim light, Gwen could see the anger blazing in his eyes. "I know you treasure your friendship with Morgana and I've never, ever said anything about it, depsite what she's done to me and my family. But to go behind my back, to use me so you could get the information she wanted? That's despicable. And I would never have thought it of you."

Panic slowly morphed into anger at Arthur's lack of trust. "That's because I would never do anything like that."

A bitter laugh escaped from Arthur. "Then tell me how she got her hands on all this information. Aside from Merlin, you were the only one who had access to it."

"I cannot believe you are sitting there, accusing me of betraying you." Her hands curled into fists as tears stung her eyes. "You, of all people."

"Then tell me, how did Morgana get the information?"

"I don't know! She came to the hotel room that weekend. Maybe she swiped it then! I certainly didn't give it to her." Gwen sucked in a deep breath. "Why would I even do that?"

For a long time, Arthur stared ahead and said nothing. Gwen could hear his harsh breathing. In her, anger and hurt churned, suffocating her, as she blinked back her tears. She needed to get out of the car. All she could think of was how little Arthur trusted her and how little he knew her. And this was the man she fell for?

"I'm sorry," Arthur finally said. "I'm sorry."

"I have to go," she choked out. Finally, the door opened and Gwen stumbled out of the car. Behind her, she heard Arthur do the same.

"Gwen -"

She swung around. "I thought you knew me. I thought you trusted me. You just sat there accusing me of lying, or betraying you, my best friend and the person I love." Her voice broke. Frantically, she fished for her keys not wanting to cry in front of Arthur.

His hand grabbed her wrist. "Gwen, I'm sorry. I -"

Wrenching her arm from his, she walked towards the entrance to her apartment. "Just go home Arthur."

"But -"

She pulled open the heavy door and practically ran to the lifts. Once the lift doors closed, shielding her from Arthur, she let her tears fall. Her phone beeped and she looked down to see that Arthur had left a message. Gwen switched off her phone. When she reached her apartment, she took her phone off the hook and crawled into bed, too full of hurt and sorrow to do anything else.

* * *

AN: I know several of you saw this coming. Sorry.


	11. Time heals all wounds

She heard from Merlin that the deal fell through. She didn't listen to Merlin's explanation, letting him ramble on over tea as her own mind drifted to the shambles that was her relationship with Arthur. Although shambles might be too positive a word since right now, it seemed like the past week was just a dream.

"Gwen?"

"Hmm," she looked up from her tea she had been stirring absently.

"How are you feeling?" Merlin's hand took hers gently.

"I'm fine." Her smile felt forced but she kept it on. "Business is good."

Merlin just raised his eyebrows and sipped his own tea. Gwen widened her smile. "You do realise you look really scary like that?" Laughing for real, Gwen swatted his arm. Merlin chuckled as well. Then quietly, he added, "Arthur's miserable."

"Is he? He looked pretty happy with Miss USA 2010 last night." Gwen regretted the words immediately. She didn't need Arthur knowing she still kept track of his activities.

"It was just a photograph. He went for the dinner alone."

Gwen shrugged. She didn't care what Arthur did. At least that was the plan. Their relationship lasted about 5 days so why did it hurt so much?

"He says you blocked his number."

"I don't want to talk to him." She also ignored him when he waited for her outside her bookshop and her apartment the past few days. He hadn't done so the last two days.

Merlin sighed. "He went to see Morgana yesterday." His fingers drew patterns on the table. "He was in a foul mood when he returned."

That piqued Gwen's interest. Once she pulled herself together, she had wondered how Morgana managed to get hold of the documents. Her memory of Morgana's visit to their room at the resort was that it was brief. And surely any missing documents would have been noticed by Arthur. Unless, a small voice said, Arthur was far too distracted that weekend to notice. "Did he say anything?"

"Maybe you should ask him. Hmm?"

"I can't."

Merlin shook his head. "You can't or you won't? Gwen, you know how much Arthur cares for you. I don't want to make excuses for him but, you also know the stress he was under."

Anger burned in her again and her nails dug into the flesh of her palm. "We've been friends for years. How could he think I would betray him?"

"People make mistakes Gwen, especially in the heat of the moment. You know if it was Micheal from accounts who sold Morgana the information, he would never have reacted so emotionally. It's because it was you, that he lost his cool. And it's because it's him that you're being like this."

Gwen stared at the table as her anger slowly deflated. When did Merlin get so sensible?

"I'm not saying he was in the right or that he doesn't owe you an apology but you need to meet him somewhere, even if it isn't halfway. Or are you planning to give up your friendship with Arthur over this?"

Left unsaid by Merlin were the many years of examples of Arthur being there for her, caring for her, taking care of her. Gwen stuffed a piece of chicken into her mouth and they finished their food in silence.

Summoned to the office on urgent business, Merlin rushed off, leaving Gwen to make the walk back to her apartment alone. As the cool night air swirled around her, Gwen pulled her jacket closer and her mind, like it did every time she wasn't occupied, drifted back to Arthur. His cold accusations juxtaposed against his warm words and touch. She blinked, but the tears still escaped.

When she saw the figure standing in front of her apartment building, she thought it was her mind playing tricks on her, or maybe her tears affecting her eye sight but when she got nearer, she saw that it was really Arthur. Her traitorous heart sped up.

"You've been crying." Arthur's low voice seemed to wrap around her, providing her warmth against the cold air. His hand moved, then as if he thought better, he dropped it. "I'm sorry."

"You've said that already." She dug into her bag for her keys, keeping her back to Arthur.

"Gwen. I -" He sighed. "I spoke to Morgana last night."

That stopped her fumbling and she slowly turned around.

"Suffice to say, after a lot of shouting and threats, Morgana finally explained what happened. When she went into our room during that weekend, she was there just to see where I placed the documents. Then she bribed one of the hotel staff to steal it, make copies and put it back when we were at that breakfast gathering."

"So it was my fault," Gwen said tightly. "I'm sorry I let her into the room."

"That's not what -" His hand landed on her shoulder. "Gwen, it's not your fault. The only people to blame are me, for not putting the documents away properly and Morgana."

Gwen looked up at the night sky, trying to stop her tears from spilling again. "Ok."

Arthur opened his mouth, then closed it. His hand cupped her face, his thumb rubbed her cheek. "I'm sorry, Gwen. For jumping to conclusions. For letting Morgana plant the suggestion that you helped her in my head. For not trusting you."

Gwen nodded but didn't pull away from Arthur's touch. "I trusted you not to hurt me."

"I want to promise you that I never will but it's not a promise I can make. I'm going to hurt you, you're going to hurt me too but we're good together. You know that. That weekend, it was three days after that, they were perfect too. You, with me, it's all I ever wanted in life."

Her heart swelled at Arthur's words."I don't like getting hurt."

A smile crossed Arthur's face briefly. "No one does. That's why I took so long to even make a move. I was petrified of being hurt. I'm sorry Gwen. Please give me another chance, let me make things right between us."

She bit her lip. She remembered Merlin's words. She sucked in a breath and asked, "Do you love me?"

A frown marred his face. "I love you more than anything, even my job. You know that."

"I do," she said quietly, remembering everything Arthur had ever done for her. "I do."

His thumb started moving again, rubbing circles against her cheek. "I love you," he repeated. "I don't want a life without you, Gwen."

"And you're sorry for being an ass?" A smile tugged at her lips, the anger and the hurt that had been wrapped around her heart eased.

Arthur caught the change in her mood. "Completely and utterly sorry."

"And you'll do anything to make up for it?" Her own hand covered his.

"I'll do anything for you, Gwen." He dipped his head and brushed his lips across hers. "Anything."

Much later, both of the curled on Gwen's small bed, she finally asked him about the deal falling through.

He twined his fingers through her curls. "There are always other deals and frankly, not having my father breathing down my neck might be appealing but I'm foolish if I think a single deal will get him off my back."

"I'm sorry about the deal. You worked really hard on it." Turning her head, she pressed a kiss on his bare shoulder.

"I have mixed feelings about it. It got me you, didn't it? But it also almost made me lose you."

Gwen smiled, a smile which Arthur covered with his mouth.

"What about Morgana?" Gwen asked when they finally surfaced for air.

Arthur shrugged, pulling Gwen closer to him. "I don't know. I am so angry with her but at the end of the day, she's still family. I did promise her that I wouldn't press charges if she told me the truth."

"I'm sorry."

She felt him kiss her temple. "Let's get some sleep, hmm?"

Gwen hadn't slept that well in days.

* * *

AN: And it's almost over! I think an epilogue would be nice. Thanks for the comments, feedback and the love. 3


	12. Epilogue

Giggling at Arthur's suggestive words, Gwen pushed her door open and stumbled in, Arthur practically plastered at her back.

"Guess Uther didn't make an ass of himself tonight," said Merlin from the sofa. Excalibur, as if embarrassed to be seen cuddling with Merlin, stretched and without even acknowledging Gwen, strode into the kitchen.

"Thanks for keeping Excalibur company. She's been moody after the operation."

After hanging up their coats, Arthur returned to her side and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Dad was actually fairly decent today. He remembered Gwen's name and he didn't mention Vivian even once."

"Well then," Merlin stood. "I'll get going."

"Thanks again!" Gwen slipped out of Arthur's hold to give Merlin a hug. "I'm sure Excalibur is grateful too."

Merlin snorted. "Right, that's why she bit me. Enjoy yourselves."

Gwen glanced at Arthur who raised his eyebrows. She nodded. "Come on," said Arthur. "I'll send you home."

"You sure?" Merlin's glance darted from Arthur to Gwen and then to Arthur again. "Because -"

"Shut up, Merlin. I'll see you outside in ten."

With a cheery goodbye, Merlin left, closing the door behind him, leaving Gwen and Arthur alone. Finally. Immediately, Arthur's arms went round her waist and he pulled her so her back was against his chest and she could feel the steady rhythm of his heart. Gwen dropped her head back and sighed with pleasure. For a while, they stood like this, swaying slightly.

"Do you want me to come back after sending Merlin home?"

She did but she also knew Arthur had an early morning meeting. Twisting around so she faced him, she buried her face in his chest, inhaling his mix of cologne and him. Then she looked up. "It's fine. I'll be seeing you tomorrow anyway." She walked her fingers down his chest, to his stomach, smiling when he sucked it in. "But I will miss you."

He nodded. "I told you that you should just move in with me. Then this wouldn't be an issue."

"Arthur, we've been dating for less than a month."

"And I've been in love with you for years," he replied. "Your lease is up in a month. Your landlord is a pain, and I'm being kind here. This apartment is on its last legs. And most importantly, I want you in my bed every night and I want to wake up with you every morning."

Gwen tried to bite down on her smile. "You make a very good argument."

"There's a reason the Business Bureau wants to make me businessman of the year." His lips brushed against her ear and she shivered. Stepping out of his loose hold, Gwen gave him a shove.

"Go. Merlin is waiting for you."

"Only after I get a proper goodnight kiss."

Laughing, Gwen pushed herself up on tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. He dragged her closer, until their bodies were pressed together tightly, nibbling her bottom lip till she groaned and sank into him. Eventually, the lack of air forced them to stop and with a quick kiss to her forehead, Arthur whispered goodbye then left.

He called, of course, later that night, as Gwen lay snuggled under her duvet.

"You know," his warm voice poured through the phone like liquid chocolate, "if you lived with me, we'd be spooning under our duvet now, your pert little bottom snug against my groin, my arms around your waist -"

Gwen laughed. "Good night Arthur." She made a smooching sound, then hung up.

A week later, when her landlord asked if she was planning to renew her lease, because she should know that the economy meant the rent would go up, Gwen shook her head.

* * *

"Isn't the blindfold a little over the top?"

"We're in a helicopter and you think the blindfold is over the top?" Arthur's amused voice came from somewhere to the left of her.

"Where are we going?" She let a little whine enter her voice, hoping it would encourage Arthur to tell her but all she received in response was laughter. It was time to try another technique. Shifting, she moved her leg to the left until she hit something hard. It felt like someone's leg. Slowly, she dragged her foot up Arthur's leg. Almost immediately, his hand wrapped around her ankle and placed her leg back.

"Naughty. It won't be much longer. You're worse than a child."

Gwen wanted to roll her eyes at him but realised it would be pointless. "This better be worth it," she pouted.

Arthur's familiar warm lips pressed against hers briefly. "It will be worth it. So tell me, are you really planning to extend your bookshop?"

Sneaky bastard. Arthur knew talking about her bookshop was her second favourite thing beside spending time with him. "I hope to. It's not so much a bookshop nowadays but more like a little hangout place for the community. I like it but there isn't enough space for people to lounge around. I want to have a small cozy cafe. I plan to extend the reading groups to storytelling sessions for younger children and I need space for the parents. Oh, I've so many things I want to do."

"And money?"

"I could borrow. I went to the bank yesterday and -" She heard Arthur's sigh and knew what was coming.

"You do realise you're dating me right? Heir of one of the richest families in the city?"

"I'm not borrowing money from you."

His hand took hers. "I'll give you the money."

"Arthur."

"Oh fine. Draw up a business plan, I'll pass it to Leon and we'll see if we think it's a worthwhile investment."

Despite her annoyance at Arthur's insistence on giving her money, Gwen laughed. "Leon wouldn't turn me down even if all I did was give him a crayon drawing of the bookshop."

"You don't know that."

Her smile widened. "I know that he likes me very much," she said coyly.

Arthur growled and then, she was being kissed deeply. "Scratch that plan. Marry me and you'll be rich enough to expand your bookshop."

"Honestly Arthur. I expected a better proposal," Gwen teased as she shoved him away. Before Arthur could answer, the helicopter lurched and Gwen realised that they were landing. "Oh! Are we there?"

"Looks like it," said Arthur, his fingers sliding against hers as he took her hand. "Just a few more minutes and you can take off the blindfold."

"I can't believe you bundle me into a helicopter, then blindfold me so I can't enjoy the view."

"Yeah, I didn't think this through. But, there's always the flight back. Now, come here and I'll take off your blindfold." She moved closer to Arthur and he captured her lips gently, his tongue sweeping across until her lips parted and allowed him access. As he ravished her mouth, his fingers untied the blindfold. When it fell from her eyes, he pulled away.

Gwen blinked, trying to adjust to the light.

"Arthur." She looked around, blinking again to make sure she wasn't mistaken. It was the resort where they'd first made love.

"I thought it was fitting we returned here for our first anniversary."

Gwen couldn't stop her smile. "You sap," she breathed and Arthur laughed.

* * *

The book club was going swimmingly when one of the girls suddenly gasped.

"Gwen! Your hand!"

Startled, Gwen lifted her hands. Was there something crawling on them? Then all hell broke loose as books fell to the floor and she was surrounded by a dozen giggling and gasping girls.

"You're engaged!"

"When is the wedding?"

"Did he pick out the ring?"

"How did he propose?"

Gwen waved her hands. "Girls! Calm down."

Daphne sighed, clasping her hands in front of her. "You're going to be Gwen Pendragon!" All the girls sighed in unison.

"Oh god," muttered Gwen to herself.

* * *

She had wanted to make it special but after discarding her latest idea involving a real life stork (mainly because she was worried it would dirty Arthur's gorgeous house) she slumped into the sofa, defeated. With the work being done on expanding her bookshop, Gwen was far too exhausted to think up more ideas. She would just wait up for Arthur, then tell him.

When Arthur found her curled up on his sofa asleep, he wasn't surprised at all.

Gwen felt his arms around her and she struggled to open her eyes. "Arthur." Reaching up, she laid her hand on his cheek, smiling when he turned his head to kiss her palm.

"Gwen. Long day?"

"Mmm," she nodded before snuggling into his chest. "I have news."

"Good news or bad news?"

"I hope it's good. I hope you think it's good." Gwen started to panic. This wasn't something they had properly discussed before and while some hours ago, she'd been certain it was good news, she suddenly wasn't sure.

Arthur's eyes widened. "Do you think it's good news?" They'd reached their bedroom and Arthur gently placed her on the bed, then sat down next to her.

Gwen nodded.

"Then, I'm sure I'll think it's good news too. So what is it?"

"We're going to be parents."

Arthur blinked. Then he blinked again. "Of a baby?"

"Of course, of a baby!" Gwen watched Arthur's face closely, willing him to smile or give a sign that he was pleased with the news. Her heart sank lower every second that passed without him doing anything.

He let out a breath. "We, uh, we always used protection."

Tears sprang into Gwen's eyes. Arthur wasn't happy. "There was that night," Gwen said softly, turning her head away so Arthur wouldn't see her cry. Calm down, she told herself. They could discuss this like adults.

Then she felt his arms slip around her shoulders and his lips in her hair. "I guess we might want to think about pushing the wedding forward. I'll get Merlin to make the arrangements -"

She turned back, desperate to know. "Arthur, are you happy?"

He looked back at her, his eyes solemn. "I think so. I'm shocked to be honest, and I've never really thought about being a father but," his smile was sudden and bright, "but the more I think about it, the more I like it. Are you happy?"

Gwen nodded. "I am."

His finger trailed down her cheek. "Then I'm happy too. I love you Guinevere."

"I love you too, Arthur," she whispered as he tumbled her into bed.

* * *

**Arthur Pendragon and wife welcome their first child.**

_Arthur Pendragon, CEO of Pendragon Industries, welcomed his first child, Igraine Thomas Pendragon, early this morning. Guinevere Pendragon gave birth to a healthy girl at 1:29am. Both mother and child will be released from hospital tomorrow._

_Igraine Thomas Pendragon, named after Arthur's late mother, is Uther Pendragon's first grandchild. He was spotted in the hospital ward with a bouquet of flowers and a large balloon. This more tender side of Uther Pendragon may emerge more often as friends say he is utterly smitten by the little baby._

The End?

* * *

AN: Thank you for reading till the end. :) I hope the epilogue was satisfactory.

For those asking, right now, I have the Merlin Reverse BB which I'm working on, then I'm really hoping to finish up Secrets and Kings and Queens. I do have other mostly completed fic not posted here, so I might do that in between. In the meantime, thanks for reading and all your wonderful comments.


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